The present invention relates generally to watering systems for poultry and/or small animals and, more particularly, to watering systems employing trigger drinkers.
Previously, poultry houses have employed multiple different poultry watering systems, depending upon the age and size of the birds. For example, for younger and smaller birds floor-mounted pans or platform troughs have been used. As the birds mature, the troughs are elevated or substituted for by a trigger drinker system.
Various trigger drinkers are presently known. One preferred type is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,088, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. The disclosure of that reference is specifically incorporated herein. In general, trigger drinkers can be mounted directly into the fluid supply line. In a typical system, a plurality of horizontal supply lines are adjustably suspended from the ceiling of a poultry house at heights determined by the size of the birds therein. Each supply line can extend for over 50 meters in length and include a large number of spaced-apart trigger drinkers.
Recently, trigger drinkers have achieved widespread acceptance as being suitable for watering poultry of all ages, including day old chicks. However, under some circumstances one to five day old chicks have not adapted to trigger drinkers easily. This can occur where the chicks are produced from "spent hens" and, as a result, are too weak or unaggressive to crowd in with other chicks at the trigger drinkers. It has been suggested to start these chicks with floor pans or troughs supplied with fluid through a hose from the supply line. Fluid level within such pans or troughs can be maintained at a generally constant level by float valves mounted in the pans or troughs. However, as these chicks get older, if the watering pans are removed and solely trigger drinkers are used, they appear to lack the ordinary intelligence of such birds and will sometimes not adjust to obtaining water at a new location.
At the same time, there are important disadvantages to maintaining a floor supported watering system. Open containers of water lose freshness, become contaminated and are more likely to spill onto the floor area. Further, while the entire trigger drinker system can be simultaneously raised for cleaning the floor area, each floor-supported trough must be separately moved.
It has been suggested to suspend troughs or open cups of water directly from the supply line. While these are generally simpler to install and maintain than floor supported watering devices, some disadvantages have persisted. Often such drinkers have internally housed valve arrangements between the supply line and the trough or cup itself. In some circumstances these valves can become clogged with debris or mineral deposits. Some specific trigger drinker arrangements have been devised to minimize this clogging, such as the self-cleaning valve shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,088. However, many cup or suspended trough drinkers include internal chambers in which such debris can collect. Those chambers can also permit bacteria to breed and accumulate unless the internal valve elements are cleaned regularly.
Unfortunately, it is often difficult to clean such valves since the entire drinker assembly must be removed from the supply line and disassembled. If the entire supply line is not carefully drained, this can cause much unwanted spillage onto the floor area. Further, some drinkers which are relatively easy to initially install cannot as a practical matter be disassembled for cleaning. As a result, they must be replaced entirely.
Freely suspended drinkers also typically require considerable weight to be attached to the drinker to stabilize it against spillage from the normal jostling in the animal enclosure. Such weights in each drinker over an entire floor system would require considerable machinery to raise and lower the system, In addition to extensive structural reinforcing to hold it in place. Heavy weights also exert unwanted stress on the drinker supply line connection.
Another problem with suspended drinkers arises from the actuating mechanisms used to maintain a constant water level. Typically, these are water weight biased to raise the cup to open a valve as water level decreases in the cup. However, such watering systems are typically lowered close to the floor for very young birds. Unfortunately, poultry house floors are rarely level. As a result, as the system is lowered, some troughs will touch the floor while othere remain suspended. Those troughs resting on the floor often overflow with fluid and spill onto the floor area because the valve remains biased open.
In general, it is important to optimize the watering system in a given poultry house by reducing the number of different apparatus that must be used through a given poultry lifetime, minimizing assembly maintenance and repair time, and eliminate leaks and spillage onto the floor area. Since trigger drinkers have otherwise been the preferred watering device for poultry and small animals, it would be desirable to obtain a drinker arrangement complementary or compatible with trigger drinkers.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved watering device for poultry and small animals.
Another object is the provision of a watering device which is easy to clean, prevents contamination and eliminates valve clogging.
A further object is to provide a demand responsive watering trough that is stabilized against spillage onto the floor area.
Yet another object is the provision of a watering device that trains young poultry to use trigger drinker watering devices.
Still another object is to provide a trough drinker that cooperatively attaches to a preexisting trigger drinker watering system and is readily removable for cleaning.
Yet still another object is the provision of a trough drinker for young poultry that may be utilized as either a platform or suspended watering system and without separate adjustment.
These and other objects of the present invention are attained in the provision of a trough drinker detachably secured to the exterior of the supply line separately from and operably associated with a detachable trigger drinker. The trough drinker includes a vertically extending stem, an elongated housing disposed about the stem and closely separated therefrom, a trough portion extending about the circumference of the housing for retaining water, a base skirt radially extending from the lower portion of the stem, an annular flange extending from the upper portion of the housing, and a spring biasing arrangement to move the flange upward when a predetermined level of fluid is present in the trough. The trigger drinker is longitudinally offset from the trough drinker along the supply line such that the upward movement of the flange causes the trigger drinker to be actuated and fluid to flow into the trough over the exterior surface of the housing.
The trigger drinker is separately detachable from the supply line without removing the trough drinker. The trough drinker is snap-fit to the supply line such that rotational and longitudinal movement are prevented. The spring biasing force on the flange is exteriorly adjustable by a lever protrusion. The trough drinker may be readily assembled from or disassembled into its separate components to facilitate cleaning, storage and shipping.
The trough drinker is advantageously used for newly hatched poultry in conjunction with the trigger drinker. For example, when the chicks are one to five days old, the trough drinker would be snap-fit in place. Adjustment of the spring biasing establishes the optimum level of fluid in the trough as the birds get older. After five days of age, the trough drinker would be removed and cleaned, leaving the trigger drinkers as the sole means for watering.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings.